It happens: the creativity tank starts to run low and needs gassing up. After rushing to finish and then submit “Ribbons Over Albuquerque” last week, I had to come down, recharge, give my brain and swollen hands a rest. That’s not a bad thing; it opens me up to new experiences which is always a great thing for dreaming up new rugs and mats.
So, just what do I do when I’m not hooking but still want to keep the fires stoked?
- I cook. Gluten-freedom has made that a little…interesting. But you can’t beat it for almost immediate gratification. And my family is oh, so appreciative.
- Field trip! Last week Tom and I headed to
Flowers seen at Albuquerque’s Biopark last week. Albuquerque’s Biopark Botanic Garden where I do rug hooking demos once a month. I’d never seen the rest of the park! Now we’ll go every season to see how it changes.
- I take pictures of things I deem “interesting” as possible design candidates. If the pic sucks, just hit DELETE. Easy-peasy.
- Never underestimate the joy in visiting a Penzeys spice store just to sniff the merchandise. Especially if it’s next door to a Michael’s. Just be careful around the Berbere Seasoning if you value the nerves and blood vessels in your nasal cavities.
- I grab the dog and the husband and hit a trail. Or even a nearby sidewalk. You never know what you might see even in your own neighborhood. (Don’t forget the camera!)
- I succumb to my magazine habit: Bon Appetit; Women’s Health; Su Casa, Sunset; Fiber Art Now; Rug Hooking; Cooking Light; National Geographic; Poets & Writers, and any rag I can pick up for free when leaving local establishments. Then I cut and paste into my journal or inspiration box. My grandmother taught me well.
- Heeding the garden’s call! We’re still trying to figure out how we’ll handle
Hooking of a different kind. this now that we live in the high desert and have much less land. But there will be flowers and tomatoes and herbs!
- Crocheting simple things like scarves keeps my hands busy and lets me buy yarn. (As if I needed an excuse.)
- And lastly, a trip to a local winery or distillery never hurts.
Keep me safe from alcoholism. Share how you recharge your creative battery when you’re not hooking.
Working in the garden on a beautiful sunny day, actually finishing a project and driving to the bay or ocean for a bit of meditation recharge my creative spirit.
I’m with you, Syl. Not that I can drive to the beach, though. Though we would like to drive to the Sea of Cortez via Arizona to get some salt water and fresh seafood. Travel recharges me.
Gardening for sure! We hosted the dessert part of the neighborhood progressive dinner on Saturday and one lady I didn’t know said she enjoyed watching our front flower gardens coming to life each year. I have peas and carrots and spinach and scallions sprouting now – yippee!!!
I actually don’t need a creative nudge, I have SO many ideas in SO many mediums. I need to sort through them and then get an idea to work. I buzzed through my first woven runner and am quite happy with the result, but the second one isn’t going as well. And in the case of weaving, you can’t really see if it’s what you hoped for until it’s off the loom.
You are surrounded with such beauty and such a different landscape than you are used to, I am sure your well will fill up soon. I know I would like to see a hooked rug on your floor! As Peter would say, there is the word RUG in rug hooking! ;-D
I think you should try a matrix rug a la Jen Manuel- (right hand side)
http://fisheyerugs.blogspot.com
I like the idea of the matrix rugs, Deb. I have a book iwth similar grids. I think it’s really for tiling, but I liked the patterns and thought I could use them. Must first buy more (gridded) monks’ cloth. I’ve finally run very low.
BTW – did Fisheye Rugs stop their blog? I haven’t received notification of any posts in a long time.
Maybe it’s not that I run low as I’m not always sure where to put the creativity . SO many mediums freeze me sometimes. LIke I’m thinking about TOO MUCH and I can’t do anything. Except perhaps cook. Yesterday it was lamb-stuffed grape leaves. And gluten-free pumpkin muffins, though they were from a Trader Joes mix that’s particularly good. 🙂
Oooohhhhhh…I wouldn’t use monks cloth particulalry if you continue to hook with wool. (I HATE monks cloth!) People who do those sorts of rugs use -the name eludes me now- but it’s a very evenly woven linen. If your hand is bothering you, I bet it’s the monks cloth! I find it so difficult to use; I felt like I was yanking. Ask your buddies if you can try some linen they might have. And if you use very wide cut wool, the monks cloth will make that even harder on your hands. Gene Shepard every now and then posts about the proper hook as well. I upped the size of hook I was using a bit ago, though I haven’t gone much higher than a 6 cut….
Jen Manuel hasn’t blogged in forever – since when she started the business with her sister. I loved her work! She had some big problems with spam and/or people being nasty, she told me.
Too bad about her blog. I enjoyed seeing it and her creations.
Ha! Monks’ cloth. We just had a discussion about it yesterday again at guild. I’ve always used it. Love the stuff. I don’t find stretching a problem like so many do. I can split the strands when I need to. If one breaks, I don’t have to care. Pulling through it is no issue for me. I did recently change hooks. Treated myself to a good one after years of using a beginners medium hook. (It was about to pull out of the handle.) I also plan to get an ergo hook; I’ve tried someone’s and loved it. That’ll be a medium too. My new one is a bit pointy, but it lets me hook right up to the binding (since I sew that on before hooking).